Snickerdoodles for high altitude baking

Snickerdoodles - made dough February 19, 2020, modified from High Altitude Bakes

I didn't think any other snickerdoodle recipe could knock off my favorite from Sally's Baking Addiction. But it turns out I was wrong. Meet my new favorite recipe for snickerdoodles. And it's such a favorite that my snickerdoodle recipe testing days have come to an end. I'm not making any other snickerdoodle recipe but this. Yes, it's that good. And with my recipe ADD, you know I don't say that lightly.

I tried out this recipe since it promised to be good for high altitude baking. I'm not sure if it was because of that or because I finally learned how to bake at the right temperature in my oven. Hint: whatever temp my oven says it is, it's lying. The cheap oven thermometer I bought at Bed Bath and Beyond (20% off!) speaks the truth. And since I started to go by the truth, my cookies are turning out much better and no longer flattening.

But I don't think it's entirely because I've bested my oven on what temperature it actually is when I put a baking sheet of cookie dough balls in it. This is genuinely a great recipe. I modified it only slightly by adding a teaspoon of (Penzey's) Vietnamese cinnamon into the dough. Otherwise, I made it as is and it delivered.

The flavor was good and the texture was soft and chewy, moist without being dense and fluffy without being too cakey. In other words: damn awesome. Like I have to make these again awesome because I shipped most of the first batch to a deployed military service member. Then I made another batch and gave it away to some former coworkers I met up with a couple of weeks ago. At the time, I felt all generous and self-sacrificing. Now I just feel deprived and foolish, lol. 

If you don't live in high altitude, I don't think there's any need to make any adjustments to the recipe. I live at 4400 feet above sea level and, as mentioned earlier, I think my cookie spread had more to do with low oven temp than altitude. In any case, try it as is and see how it turns out. And - wait for it - don't overbake. It's okay for the middles to puff up during baking but they should absolutely collapse slightly in the center after you take them out. Slightly, mind you, not be volcanic craters. If you get a crater, you didn't bake them long enough. If they stay puffy after you take them out, you might've baked them too long.

look at that texture!

2 sticks (8 ounces) unsalted butter, softened
1 1/4 cups + 2 tablespoons sugar
2 eggs
2 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
1 1/4 teaspoons cream of tartar
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon cinnamon

Cinnamon sugar
1/2 cup sugar
3 tablespoons ground cinnamon

1. Cream together butter and sugar until light and fluffy, 2-3 minutes.
2. Beat in the eggs until combined.
3. In a separate bowl, whisk together the flour, cream of tartar, baking soda, salt and cinnamon.
4. Add to butter-egg mixture in 2 additions, mixing briefly after each addition, just until combined. Do not overmix.
5. Portion dough into golf-ball-size balls. If dough is too sticky, you may chill briefly (15-20 minutes) before portioning into dough balls. Cover and chill or freeze the dough balls several hours or overnight.
6. When ready to bake, preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Line baking sheets with parchment paper.
7. Mix together 1/2 cup granulated sugar and 3 tablespoons cinnamon in a bowl. Roll dough balls in cinnamon-sugar mixture, covering completely, before evenly spacing on prepared sheet.
8. Bake for 9-11 minutes, until edges are set and middles no longer look raw. Let rest on baking sheet for 2-3 minutes before removing to wire rack to cool completely.

Chocolate Chip Cookies from Del's Cooking Twist

Chocolate Chip Cookies - made dough February 17, 2020 from Del's Cooking Twist

Here's another chocolate chip cookie recipe for you (surprise....not). I needed them for my sister's Open House one weekend so tried a (yet another) new recipe.

These were a bit better than the last one I tried but it could possibly be because I made the taste test cookie huge. Like Levain Bakery copycat huge (6 ounces of cookie dough for one cookie). Which meant that although it spread during baking at 375 degrees from frozen dough, it still remained thick enough.

The flavor was good, the edges were crisp and the middle was soft and chewy. Yum. I also liked the texture on this one as it wasn't only chewy and buttery but also had a softer but not-cakey texture. I don't know how the more normal-sized cookies turned out as I made the ones for her Open House smaller and didn't eat any of them (hello, just had 6 ounces of baked cookie and there are only so many workouts I can do in a day). But I think they came out okay just by their appearance.

1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, softened and diced
3/4 cup (135 g) brown sugar
1/2 cup (100 g) granulated sugar
2 large eggs
1 cup (120 g) cake flour
1 1/2 cups (180 g) all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 cups (250 g) walnut halves (I left them out and added extra chocolate chips)
2 cups (350 g) large chocolate chips or chunks

1. Cream butter, brown sugar and granulated sugar together until combined and fluffy, about 1 minute.
2. Add eggs and beat on medium speed until just incorporated.
3. Combine cake flour, all-purpose flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt in a separate bowl. Add to butter-sugar mixture in two additions, beating just until combined after each addition.
4. Fold in chocolate chips and walnuts (if using). Portion dough into golf-ball-size dough balls (or smaller or larger, according to your preference). Cover and chill for several hours or overnight. Freeze after chilling if not baking within a day.
5. When ready to bake, preheat oven to 400 degrees. Line baking sheets with parchment paper and evenly space dough balls. Bake 10-15 minutes (my oven took longer) or until edges are golden brown and middles no longer look doughy. Do not overbake. Remove from oven, let cool on baking sheet for 5 minutes then remove cookies to wire rack to cool completely.

Nutella and Hazelnut Crispy Rice Cereal Treats

Nutella and Hazelnut Crispy Rice Cereal Treats - made February 27, 2020 from America's Test Kitchen Everything's Chocolate

Ever since I made the Cookie Butter Rice Krispie treats, my mind - and palate - have been open to this concept of "dressing" up plain Rice Krispie treats. My simple tastes usually make me prefer the original but I liked the cookie butter one so much that I decided to try this Nutella version from my new cookbook.

Yes, I bought a new cookbook. Three of them, as a matter of fact but I haven't made anything yet from the other two (stay tuned, it won't be long, I bet). After being good for so long and not buying any, I bought 3 within a week. I'm not even sorry about it either so you know it's been awhile since I've indulged.

Anyway, hello Nutella Rice Krispies treats. They're as easy to make as the plain ones. Just make sure you have all your ingredients measured out and ready to go so once the marshmallows are just barely completely melted, you can add everything in. It doesn't do to let your melted marshmallows cook for too long or they'll harden and get even more rubbery (why, yes, that's the voice of experience you're hearing).

Despite the Nutella addition, these aren't super Nutella-y and still stay true to that Rice Krispies treats flavor. It helps to add the chopped toasted hazelnuts though to really bring that nutella and hazelnut flavor home. I liked these. I shared them with some former coworkers when we had a reunion breakfast as well as shipped them out in care packages for deployed service members. I love Rice Krispies treats so I'm glad to add another version to my repertoire.

8 tablespoon unsalted butter
2 (10-ounce) packages marshmallows
1/2 cup Nutella
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1/4 teaspoon instant espresso powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
10 cups (10 ounces) crisped rice cereal
1/2 cup hazelnuts, toasted, skinned and chopped
3 ounces milk chocolate, chopped (optional)

1. Line a 9 x 13 baking pan with aluminum foil and lightly spray with nonstick cooking spray.
2. Melt butter in a large pot. Add marshmallows, Nutella, vanilla, espresso powder and salt. Cook, stirring often, until marshmallows are just melted, about 3 minutes. Off heat, stir in cereal until fully combined.
3. Transfer cereal mixture to prepared pan. Sprinkle hazelnuts over cereal mixture. Smooth top with rubber spatula. Let cool then cut into squares.
4. Optional (I left it out): Melt milk chocolate over low heat. Place in ziploc bag, seal and cut a corner to pipe onto rice krispie squares. Let set.

Brown Sugar & Cinnamon Cookies

Brown Sugar & Cinnamon Cookies - made dough February 17, 2020 from Hot Eats and Cool Reads

Normally I would look askance at a cookie that had the temerity to spread to thinness. I mean, come on, cookies need to be chubby. Since those delicious (and empty) calories can make you chubby, they should be chubby, right? Yes, that's how my mind works.

However, I might have to make an exception to that (completely logical) stance with these cookies. As you can tell from the pictures, they spread. Not only did they spread but they spread out. They started out as compact, thick discs (frozen), more like chubby round balls with their tops slightly - just slightly, mind you - flattened. 15 minutes in the oven and the middles spread out like a package-laden Christmas shopper settling in on public transportation. The one who decides to sit next to me.

I was a little miffed about that spread. Then I tasted the cookies. And I forgave. The flavor on these is superb. What's a little weird is they almost taste like ginger molasses cookies while not having a lick of ginger or molasses in them. The flavor is all driven by the brown sugar which had the good sense to transform in a deep caramel flavor without the stickiness of caramel.

The weird part? I don't even like ginger molasses cookies all that much but, despite its similar flavor profile, I loved these cookies. They're chewy and packed with great flavor. Now I just have to figure out how to prevent their spread.

I did end up packaging these up for my next care package to a deployed military service member for Soldiers Angels. They vacuum-sealed well enough and hopefully the deployed troops won't be as snobby as I am about thin (thin!) cookies as long as the flavor is there.

Update: I did make these a second time and made the adjustments suggested for high altitude (in parentheses below in the recipe). Unfortunately, while they didn't spread as much, they still spread thin. Fortunately, the flavor wasn't affected. So you can make the recipe as is or adjust accordingly, depending on your location.

2 cups all-purpose flour (for high altitude, add 1 tablespoon)
2 teaspoons baking soda (for high altitude, use 1 3/4 teaspoons)
1/2 teaspoon salt
3/4 teaspoon cinnamon
1 1/2 sticks butter, softened
1 1/4 cups dark brown sugar (for high altitude, decrease by 1 generous tablespoon)
1 large egg

1. In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, baking soda, salt and cinnamon; set aside.
2. In the bowl of a stand mixer, cream together butter and sugar until light and fluffy, 2-3 minutes. Add egg and beat until just combined. Add dry ingredients in two additions and beat after each addition, just until combined. Do not overmix.
3. Portion into balls (the larger the cookie dough ball, the more it'll spread). Cover and chill or freeze for several hours or overnight.
4. When ready to bake, preheat oven to 375 degrees. Line baking sheets with parchment paper and evenly space dough balls. Bake 8-10 minutes (mine took closer to 15) or until edges are set and middles no longer look raw. Remove from oven, let rest on baking sheets for 3-5 minutes then remove cookies to wire cooling racks to cool completely.

Instant Pot Korean Beef

Instant Pot Korean Beef - made February 19, 2020, modified from I Heart Eating

After going through such a cooking storm at the end of last year, I completely lost my cooking mojo and have been living off frozen dinners (hello, Lean Cuisine), rotisserie chicken (Costco is my friend) and takeout (Panda Express, less of a friend but still a good acquaintance).

But as I was finally finishing up the leftover ham from Christmas (paced out thanks to storing portions in the freezer), I also decided I should try being a grown up again and adult myself to cooking a dish. Thankfully, with an Instant Pot, adulting is a little less painful.

Mix together ingredients, throw stuff in the Instant Pot and go away for an hour. Works for me. This turned out pretty well. You can increase the Gochujang if you like your meals with more kick but the 2 tablespoons was fine for me. I also thickened up the sauce (which initially had the consistency of thin gruel) with some cornstarch and let it boil for a few minutes. With some steamed rice to sop up the sauce and the beef becoming tender thanks to the pressure cooking, this is a quick, easy to make dish. My kind of cooking.

1/2 cup soy sauce
1/3 cup brown sugar
1/4 cup beef broth
5 cloves garlic, minced
2 tablespoons sesame oil
2 tablespoons rice vinegar
1 teaspoon ground ginger
2 tablespoons Gochujang sauce
1/2 teaspoon onion powder
1/2 teaspoon pepper
3-4 pounds boneless beef chuck roast, cut into 1-inch cubes

1. In a medium bowl, whisk together ingredients except for chuck roast.
2. Place cubed roast in Instant Pot. Pour sauce over meat. 
3. Close the lid, making sure the pressure release valve is turned to "sealing".
4. Press the Meat program button and set time to 40 minutes. Once it has finished cooking, keep pot closed for 25 minutes for the natural pressure release.
5. Turn the pressure release valve to venting to allow any pressure to dissipate. Remove lid. If sauce is too thin, remove half a cup to a small bowl and whisk in 1-2 tablespoons of cornstarch to make a slurry. Turn pot to "saute" and add slurry back in. Stir, until sauce is desired thickness. Serve hot with steamed rice.

Chocolate Chip Cookies from Baking is a Science

Chocolate Chip Cookies - made dough February 17, 2020 from Baking is a Science

I'm trying  to space out the chocolate chip cookie recipes but you'll notice I've been making them a lot. Different recipes, sure, but still chocolate chip cookies.

That's mostly because I'm sending them in care packages to deployed military service members and also for my sister (she's a realtor) when she does Open Houses and wants fresh homemade cookies to serve. Who doesn't like chocolate chip cookies? (If you raise your hand, don't bother, I can't see you.)

But being me, I almost always have to try out a new recipe when I need chocolate chip cookies. The good news is I can usually tell if a recipe will turn out so there's little risk. Plus I make my own adjustments to stack the odds for success: freeze the dough, bake from frozen dough, underbake.

The bad news? I make so many recipes that I usually can't distinguish one from another. If they're good, I give them away and move on to the next recipe. A recipe has to be REALLY GOOD for me to remember it a day later. Mostly because I bake chocolate chip cookies so often that even the good recipes blend in my head.

So don't take it as a bad sign if I say these were great but I probably won't remember them a day after I make them. They're good, they're great, they're like many other good/great recipes I've tried. Bonus points that  they didn't spread like some other recipes, even baking in high altitude with my oven.

1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, softened
1 cup (7 ounces) dark brown sugar
1/4 cup granulated sugar
1 egg, room temperature
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
1 1/2 cups (9 ounces) bread flour
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup chocolate chips

1. In the bowl of a stand mixer, cream butter, brown sugar and granulated sugar.
2. Add egg and vanilla; mix only until just incorporated.
3. In a separate bowl, whisk together flour, baking soda and salt. 
4. Gradually add dry ingredients to butter mixture; mix just until combined. If dough is dry, finish mixing by hand. Fold in chocolate chips. 
5. Form dough into golf-ball size dough balls. Cover and chill for 2 hours. Bake or freeze after chilling.
6. When ready to bake, preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line baking sheets with parchment paper and evenly space dough balls. Bake for 12-14 minutes or until edges are set and middles no longer look raw.

Jenny's Sugar Cookies

Jenny's Sugar Cookies - made February 13, 2020 from Jenny's Cookies

This was my (lame) attempt at a Mardi Gras look. I say lame because a fellow angel baker on the Angel Baker team from Soldiers' Angels posted her super-beautiful, royal-icing decorated Mardi Gras cookies and I was floored. I'm not even posting a pic of hers so only I will know how lame mine looks in comparison, lol.

unbaked

It's also kinda lame because all I did was sprinkle colored sugars in the Mardi Gras colors. That's the extent of my decorating prowess.

As for the cookies themselves, positive points that the dough came together well and was easy to work with, even for the rollout and the cookie cutting. Ultimately, this is a cookie that's best served as a base for an icing. It's not that sweet so it would be well served to be frosted or decorated with royal icing.

If you follow the directions to only bake 7-8 minutes, the bottoms will still be pale and the cookies will be a bit fragile. If you bake a few minutes more, long enough for the bottoms to be a pale golden brown, they'll be less fragile and - by definition - a bit more firm and chewy. Bake according to your preference.

These aren't that sweet and don't spread much so I'd recommend them more if you want a sugar cookie who'll keep its shape that you can decorate. But if you want a straightforward sugar cookie with great flavor, I'd still go with either the one from Butternut Bakery or from Easy Family Recipes.

3 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 cup (2 sticks) butter, room temperature
1 cup granulated sugar
1 large egg
2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract

1. In a medium bowl, whisk together flour and baking powder; set aside.
2. In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream together butter and sugar until combined and fluffy, about 1-2 minutes.
3. Beat in the egg and vanilla until combined. Scrape down sides of bowl with rubber spatula.
4. On low speed, gradually add the dry ingredients. Mix just until combined and flour has been absorbed.
5. Form dough into a ball and wrap in plastic wrap. Press into a 1-inch thick disc. Refrigerate for at least 10 minutes.
6. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Line baking sheets with parchment paper.
7. Roll out the dough on a lightly floured flat work surface to about 1/4" thickness, using additional flour as needed to prevent sticking. Cut into desired shapes and evenly space on prepared baking sheets. Bake for 7-8 minutes until puffy. Let rest on baking sheet for 2-3 minutes before transferring cookies to wire rack to cool completely.